“I would not use the word co-candidate for Kasidiaris with the same comfort as my other co-candidateswe must make a distinction between us who support and are supported by the democratic arch and the criminals” he emphasized speaking to SKAI 100.3 and Vasilis Chiotis and Noti Papadopoulosthe mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis.

Add how “Kasidiaris and I have been fighting a battle since 2018 as a factionin the “Athens High”from the pre-election campaign we did in 2019″.

“There is a lot of discussion. I’m very afraid that in the end we end up advertising it and maybe we ourselves breed the monster.” noted Mr. Bakoyannis.

He added that “the best response to the Nazis, if we really want to banish fear and hatred and violence and not instrumentalize them to achieve our other political ends, then we should invest with our work in the quality of life of the Athenians, whether it is the new polyclinics which became 7 and are being upgraded from clinics to polyclinics and have served over 400,000 people, either our schools, nurserieswhere a child from 4 to 6 can go to school, we are talking about 1,300 families throughout Athens”.

Mr. Bakoyannis persisted in the battle of legitimacy in Athenscharacteristically saying: As you know me I am a very big fan of legality. I think that Athena cannot be his city after all. It must be one city ​​with a beginning, middle and end. And this, of course, requires a Municipality that does not hesitate, does not fear and also undertakes the political costs. Because many times in the past the municipality was a bastion of petty interests and there is nothing worse now than that. We are there and fighting. We are also more equipped, because we have a new institutional framework that was passed by the previous government before the national elections. And it was voted, I can say it very openly, and at our own urging. What has been going on so far? If a shop was systematically illegal, you could go and fine them. However, the fine is often less than the income. The next step was that we would go and seize and lift the table seats. But again we find that many times the revenue was more, more than the cost of the bench seats, that’s why they replaced them in DT time. Now, from about March onwards, we have the ability to seal the store and that hurts. For some days obviously, we can’t close it, because it would be absurd to close it completely. But you know the sealing is felt by the other. And because when we did it in the beginning they told us “but there is no way you will ever do this, this has never happened before in Athens”. We have sealed dozens of shops and what we see is that little by little, because you understand that it is also a battle of mentality, there is a certain conformity that gives us optimism, as long as we persist in this line. If we start to water and go back and forth, we’ve lost the game.

Most of the dust about Kasidiaris is raised in the media

With Kasidiarissaid Mr. Bakoyannis, we have been fighting since 2018, as a faction. And I refer to “Athens High”. That is, from the pre-election campaign we did for 2019. And you know I think because even my harshest critics admit to me that as mayor I know the city very wellwhat I can tell you is that there is more talk, more noise, more dust is raised in the media than in the neighborhoods. And I’m very afraid that in the end we unwittingly end up advertising it and ourselves raising the monster.

Because the best answer to the Nazis or to put it another way, if we really want to banish fear and hatred and violence and not be instrumentalized to achieve our other political endsthen we should invest with our work in quality of life of the Athenians. Whether it’s the new polyclinics finally becoming these and upgrading from practice to polyclinic, consider that we have served over 300,000 people. Whether it is our schools, our nurseries, where now a child from 4 to 6 can go to school, we are talking about 1,300 families throughout Athens. Whether it is social solidarity actions. Because above all, what do we want to do? We want to build a new social consciousness and show in practice that we need each other and want each other.

Mr. Bakoyiannis did not fail to refer to creation of 100 new parking spaces in the underground parking lot of Klathmonos: “To add something very quickly, because it is useful and functional. Why we have a huge issue as you know, we all experience it, with traffic and parking. Let me say that now – you know we have two parking lots, one in Varvakeio and one in Klathmonos – in Klathmonos we have added another 100 legal parking spaces. And so we have hopefully reached 515 and at a very reasonable price. If anything we can take some small breaths, for those looking for a place in the city center”.